Foreword

Robust volumes, clear price adjustments and new perspectives

This was a year of confirmation and renewal. Together, the Swico and SENS recycling systems processed around 135,200 tonnes of waste electrical and electronic equipment in 2024 – 2% more, in terms of volume, than the previous year. This is clear proof that our recycling systems are extremely stable, efficient and sustainable, even after more than 30 years.

The positive trend in volumes was accompanied by a revision of our recycling contracts. All have now been rewritten, compensation models have been adjusted and the requirements for our partner companies have been updated. Our aim in all of this is to create the right conditions to ensure reliable collaboration in the years to come.

The revision of the Environmental Protection Act and the new enforcement guidelines from the Federal Office for the Environment have also led to changes at the federal level. For the first time, the state of the art in the disposal of waste electrical and electronic equipment has been comprehensively defined. For Swico and SENS, this is confirmation of our many years of hard work. Many of the standards in force today are based on processes and concepts that we developed together with the Technical Commission and have successfully put into practice.

Legal requirements have changed, as has the market itself. The circular economy is becoming increasingly important, which we recognised and reacted to at an early stage. Over the course of various projects, we expanded our database, collected new key figures and identified specific fields of action. We now have a better understanding of how many old devices can be immediately reused, which ones are worth repairing, which can be used to provide spare parts and which are too damaged or low-quality to be of further use.

We are fortunate in that regard to operate within a dynamic regulatory framework that continually offers us new opportunities for further development. Our ambition remains unchanged: to ensure quality, drive innovation and act responsibly. This report provides insight into our work and shows where we are heading. We would like to thank all our partners for their trust, and we hope you find the report inspiring.

Leistung

Elektro- und Elektronikrecycling leistet einen messbaren Beitrag zum Umwelt- und Ressourcenschutz. Offen ausgewiesene Kennzahlen, verarbeitete Mengen und der erzielte Umweltnutzen machen die Leistung von SENS eRecycling und Swico Recycling transparent und zeigen die Wirkung zweier weltweit führender Recyclingsysteme für Elektro- und Elektronikgeräte.

Veränderungen

Neue Technologien, veränderte Zusammensetzungen von Elektro- und Elektronikgeräten, kritische Stoffe sowie regulatorische Entwicklungen verändern die Anforderungen an das Recycling laufend. Innovationen und neue Erkenntnisse schaffen gleichzeitig die Grundlage, Prozesse zu optimieren, das Recycling weiterzuentwickeln und die Kreislaufwirtschaft aktiv mitzugestalten.

A comparison between the Swiss and European WEEE recycling systems

Similarities and differences in WEEE recycling

Switzerland isn’t part of the European Union and, despite great similarities with the European framework, the country has its own legal, institutional and technical system for the disposal of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). This specific framework has led Switzerland to develop its own technical requirements and methodology for audits, as well as for conducting and evaluating batch tests.
16.06.2026
Recycling of photovoltaic modules in Switzerland

Trends in material flows and a new partner using a pyrolysis process

The number of photovoltaic modules collected and processed in Switzerland is rising rapidly. Collection and processing have been organised operationally since 2013 through a partnership between SENS eRecycling and Swissolar. Since 2025, the system has been expanded to include a new partner recycling facility, whose innovative process incorporates a pyrolysis step that enables the recovery of high-quality materials.
15.06.2026
Recycling of cables

More than “just” copper

In recent years, the Technical Commission (TK) SENS/Swico has focused on recycling cables recovered from waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). This created a more differentiated perspective than the previous approach, according to which cables consist only of materially recycled copper and energetically recovered plastics. Recent findings indicate that both material composition and recycling methods should be evaluated using a more multifaceted approach.
01.06.2026
Stakeholders: services and perspectives

Perspectives from different stakeholder groups

For over 30 years, Swico Recycling and SENS eRecycling have played a defining role in the take-back system for waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) in Switzerland. As voluntary industry organisations, they have established a nationwide collection network, set quality standards, and created a reliable disposal infrastructure. Six stakeholder groups were asked for their assessment.
01.06.2026

Fokus «Vorbereitung zur Wiederverwendung»

Die Wiederverwendung von Elektro- und Elektronikgeräten ist ein wichtiger Baustein der Kreislaufwirtschaft und gewinnt zunehmend an Bedeutung – sowohl in der Gesellschaft wie auch in der Politik und Wirtschaft. Um ihr Potenzial gezielt zu erschliessen, braucht es klare Rahmenbedingungen, fundierte Erkenntnisse und praktische Erfahrungen. Gesetzliche Entwicklungen, fachliche Perspektiven und Pilotprojekte zeigen, wie ReUse und die Vorbereitung zur Wiederverwendung weiter vorangebracht werden können.

Technische Kommission SENS/Swico

Fachwissen entsteht im Austausch. Die Technische Kommission SENS/Swico bündelt Expertise aus der Branche, begleitet aktuelle Entwicklungen und setzt Impulse für die Weiterentwicklung des Recyclings. Ein Rückblick auf das vergangene Jahr und die Porträts der Autorinnen und Autoren geben Einblick in diese gemeinsame Arbeit.